The Senate on Aug. 8 voted 90-6 to approve a continuing resolution (CR) that would fund the government through Dec. 11 and temporarily extend several key federal technology and cybersecurity programs beyond the Sept. 30 end of the fiscal year.
For federal IT, the Senate measure would prevent three authorities from expiring at the end of fiscal year 2026: the Technology Modernization Fund (TMF), the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act of 2015 (CISA 2015), and the Federal Cybersecurity Enhancement Act.
The Senate vote sends the measure to the House. However, lawmakers in the two chambers still need to resolve differences between their respective funding bills before a stopgap measure can become law and avert an Oct. 1 government shutdown.
The House on July 21 voted 220-205 to approve its version of the CR, which would fund the government through Dec. 4. House lawmakers then left Washington for their August recess.
When lawmakers return to Washington, the House and Senate will need to agree on identical legislation before sending the funding measure to President Donald Trump.
TMF authorization extended
As MeriTalk previously reported, the TMF extension means the Technology Modernization Board can continue to make new investments through Dec. 11.
Created under the Modernizing Government Technology Act of 2017, the TMF provides agencies with funding for technology modernization projects that they can repay over time.
The extension comes after a coalition of leading technology organizations sent a July 30 letter urging Senate appropriators to continue the program.
“We were thrilled to see the Senate include the TMF authorization language in the CR, so the fund can deliver on the savings that technology modernization brings to the taxpayer,” Ross Nodurft, executive director of the Alliance for Digital Innovation (ADI), told MeriTalk. ADI spearheaded the letter to Senate appropriators.
“We understand that this extension only lasts until December 11th, and we will continue to work with Congress to authorize and support this important fund going forward,” Nodurft said.
CISA 2015, Federal Cybersecurity Enhancement Act also extended
In addition to the extension of the TMF, the CR also extends CISA 2015 and the Federal Cybersecurity Enhancement Act through Dec. 11.
CISA 2015 established a legal framework for government and the private sector to share cybersecurity threat data.
The Federal Cybersecurity Enhancement Act formally codified and authorized the National Cybersecurity Protection System (NCPS). The extension reauthorizes the NCPS program, which helps agencies detect and prevent cyber threats from compromising the federal civilian government’s IT infrastructure. The program is overseen by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.